AACCCCEESSSS 22 MMOOUUNNTTAAIINN Sustainable Mobility and Tourism in Sensitive Areas of the Alps and the Carpathians: STUDY ON TRAFFIC FLOWS IN MARAMUREŞ COUNTY AND IN THE NORTH OF THE EASTERN CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS – ROMANIA WP 3| Act. 3.3 Executive Summary May 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................3 2 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................................................4 3 INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS OF THE STUDIED DOMAINS.....................................................................5 3.1 Territorial profile of the studied area ............................................................................................................ 5 3.1.1 Geo-climatic issues and natural resources of the territory ....................................................................... 6 3.1.2 Demographic issues and settlement network ........................................................................................... 7 3.2 Tourism sector................................................................................................................................................. 8 3.2.1 Tourist profile ............................................................................................................................................ 9 3.3 Environmental profile of the studied area .................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Transport Sector Profile ................................................................................................................................ 10 3.4.1 Transport infrastructure .......................................................................................................................... 10 3.4.2 Tourism and transportation in Maramureş ............................................................................................. 12 3.4.3 Transport and environment .................................................................................................................... 13 3.4.4 Revenue and expenses in transport ........................................................................................................ 13 3.5 The profile of the administration institutions capacity – law and administration related issues ................ 14 3.5.1 Competent public institutions and the legal framework......................................................................... 14 3.5.2 Reference documents .............................................................................................................................. 15 3.5.3 Plans and maps ........................................................................................................................................ 16 4 CONCLUSIONS ON THE ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT STAGE OF THE STUDIED DOMAINS..........................17 4.1. Conclusions on the internal environment analysis ....................................................................................... 17 4.2. Conclusions on the external environment analysis ...................................................................................... 21 5 SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE CURRENT SITUATION (correlated with ACCESS 2 MOUNTAIN‘s objectives)....23 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - STUDY ON TRAFFIC FLOWS AND ON POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS IN MARAMUREŞ COUNTY AND IN THE NORTH OF THE EASTERN CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS – ROMANIA page 2 1 INTRODUCTION The Study on traffic flows and on possible solutions in Maramureș County and the North of Eastern Carpathians – Romania, referred to hereafter as “the Study”, was designed as part of the project WP3 – Analysis, traffic flow models and follow-up tools, with the aim to present and analyse the accessibility components and traffic characteristics in the mountainous area of the Northern Romania. The structure of the study allows for its subsequent use as a tool for strategic planning and drafting of public policies on (a) sectoral level for specific development of transport infrastructure area and (b) territorial and administrative level. From this perspective, the study is designed to be a dialogue initiating and facilitating document regarding the drafting and implementation of development plans (Master Plan) of a modern transport infrastructure, adapted to the mountainous feature of the area. This process of sectoral planning of transport infrastructure shall be included in a sustainable global vision of development of the studied area, at the same time considering the following: economic growth, social equity, environment conservation and protection, promotion of local cultural identity and good management of mountainous communities. From this standpoint, the study presents: (1) Territory features of the studied area; location, geographical and demographic characteristics, and natural resources; (2) Institutional, legislative and technical support for territorial and sectoral planning of the areas of transport, environment and tourism; (3) Area profile of transport infrastructure network: area accessibility, most used travel means and financial analysis components: cost-benefit; (4) Territorial environment issue, especially related to the transport sector; (5) The relationship between the fields of transport and tourism, as main economic branch of the centre of the studied area (Maramureş), complemented with the profile of the tourist visiting the area. The study identifies the following: (6) The challenges and the development potential of the transport system; And, as its final “deliverable” outlines, the study: (7) Proposes solutions identified along the data collection and analysis stages for improvement purposes and (8) Outlines a set of conclusions and recommendations for all stakeholders involved in an envisaged sectoral development process of transport infrastructure and territorial development of the studied area. The study outlines are thoroughly related to and aim at fully supporting all specific project objectives. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - STUDY ON TRAFFIC FLOWS AND ON POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS IN MARAMUREŞ COUNTY AND IN THE NORTH OF THE EASTERN CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS – ROMANIA page 3 2 METHODOLOGY The study was designed as a tool of (long-term) strategic analysis of the priority area of transport system in the mountainous area of the North of Romania. For the general support of the five specific project objectives, the beneficiary of the study commissioned an additional drafting of the profiles and analysis of the secondary areas: environmental, tourism, legislative and institutional. The structure of the study observes the methodological stages of a strategic analysis presented below, together with the research methods used: (Secondary) Stages Chapters Research methods 1. Internal environment analysis Target area territorial 3. Geographical issues Source identification, statistics profile 4. Demographical issues collection and mapping Priority area profile: Source identification, statistics 7. Transport infrastructure transportation collection and mapping Secondary area profile: the Source identification, statistics 12. The environment environment collection and thematic mapping Source identification, statistics collection and thematic mapping, Secondary area profile: 13. Tourism Designing and applying tourism 14. Tourist profile questionnaires to evaluate tourist profile 5. Administration forms, Secondary area profile: 6. The main legal tools, Source identification and mapping, institutional and 10. Maps, Researching public archives administrative 11. Planning documents, strategic studies. Strategic studies research – 2. External environment identifying opportunities and analysis 15. Conclusions and challenges 3. Defining development recommendations Expert group focus – problem objectives analysis, solutions to improve the 4. Follow-up situation 2.1 Limitations of the research The data are collected from various public institutions in the studied area or at the central level, with dissimilar procedures and periods of data collection, validation and reporting. The lack of correlation between various institutional databases, which would enable information validation, leads to confusion or requires an additional research (in order to identify and determine common indicators) so that the analysis data of the studied areas should be authenticated. The following rule has been identified: "the more specific the collected data (in terms of field or study area) is, the more difficult are the identification, collection and interpretation.” EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - STUDY ON TRAFFIC FLOWS AND ON POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS IN MARAMUREŞ COUNTY AND IN THE NORTH OF THE EASTERN CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS – ROMANIA page 4 - The monitored indicators, data series, reference periods of collected data are often different. As a rule, the study makes use of the value of monitored common indicators, resulting from the latest statistics series identified (most of these relating to the year 2010 as the reference year). - The diversity of formats of data presentation and thematic maps (most of them in PDF extension) hinders data compilation and correlation. - A small part of these data can be accessed online or extracted from printed reports. The access to most analysis data involves complying with bureaucratic procedures that threaten meeting deadlines for studies and reports. - Thematic